How to Tie Dye T-Shirts with Sugar

We are so excited about this DIY project that is perfect for summer! It was so much fun to create and we couldn’t wait to share it with you! This is a tie-dye idea that kids of any age can create with sugar. What? yep, you simply sprinkle sugar to create the design and then spray fabric dye over the shirt. Allow the shirt to dry (the hardest part) and then you quickly have your very own custom designed tie-dyed t-shirt! We love that there are no chemicals involved and that the kids can really get their hands into this project with no concern!

Making this tie dye t-shirts with sugar was as easy as 1-2-3. First we visited our local craft store and picked up a box of tumble dye Tie-Dye (we purchased sei brand).

How to Tie Dye T-Shirts with Sugar

Begin by cutting some cardboard and placing inside a white t-shirt to keep the tie dye from bleeding through.

Cover your flat surface with newspaper or other protective surface (This is a great outside project, especially when working with kids!)

Wet a paper towel and dab it over the shirt to lightly dampen it or use a spray bottle and lightly spritz. This will create a more tie-dye look and will keep the sugar from blowing away.

Sprinkle sugar over the shirt to create your design or you can just sprinkle in random spots.

Shake Dye well before using.

Spray dye over the shirt. Be careful not to blow the sugar off the t-shirt. We chose to create a thick line of sugar so there was no concern of the sugar blowing off plus it gave us a nice design.

Allow the t-shirt dry completely before removing it off of the cardboard (this took an hour outside and more time inside).

Rinse the sugar off of the t-shirt in cold water (we used kitchen sink).

If you are using sei Tumble Dye then you just put the shirt in the dryer to set the color.

The sei tie dye kit costs only $9.99 and I used a 40% off coupon. Each kit makes a total of 12 T-shirts so this is a really affordable summer project! We hope you enjoy this “sweet” twist to the traditional tie-dye t-shirts.

It was so easy to make our shirts and a lot of fun! This would be an easy craft for a birthday party or perfect to create field day T-shirts at school. I loved that the sei tie dye is non toxic and by using the sugar to create the design the kids are really able to get their hands into this project! Perfect for summer fun!

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Dixie Crystals however all opinions are 100% our own. Since 1917, Dixie Crystals® has been the South’s choice for high-quality sugar and sweeteners. Their pure cane sugar products are all natural, non-GMO and provide consistently delicious results.